• Print out our recipe for chicken burger pita breads.

• Let the kids check which ingredients you have and which ones need to go onto the shopping list.

• Get the kids to help with the prep: they can set the oven, help make the tzatziki (while you supervise), and fill the pita breads.

• Let them clean the kitchen and do the washing up with your help. This is an important skill that every little chef should learn.

Here’s how to quickly turn stale bread into a delicious coating for chicken:

• Grate stale bread on the coarse side of your grater or blitz the bread in a food processor.
• Spread the crumbs out on a baking sheet. 
• Bake at 150°C for 25 minutes or until slightly toasted.
• Make your schnitzels, and enjoy!

• Roast a whole chicken and enjoy everything it has to offer. Use the carcass for stock and the giblets to make delicious sauces and gravies.
• Bulk up chicken dishes with healthy, budget-friendly legumes (e.g. beans and chickpeas). Go for dried instead of canned beans, as they tend to cost less.
• Use local, seasonal fruit and vegetables to make delicious chicken dishes. You’ll save money and enjoy the freshest produce there is.
• Don’t throw out that last bit of rice in the pot. Use it as a stuffing for chicken the next day.
• Grow your own herbs. You’ll waste less and save more.
• Lemons pair wonderfully with chicken and cost very little if picked from your own lemon tree. Get planting!

• Pre-heat the cooker, as this will reduce the cooking time.
• Season the chicken well before placing it in the cooker.
• Always brown chicken pieces before adding them to the slow cooker. This adds colour and flavour to the chicken.
• Place any root veggies (e.g. potato, sweet potato, carrots) at the bottom of the cooker, as they take longest to cook. Use celery, herbs and onion to add flavour.
• Add your sauce early in the cooking process, as this will add moisture, prevent the chicken from sticking to the cooker, and add even more delicious flavour to the dish.
• Remember that chicken dishes cook faster than, for example, lamb dishes. Keep an eye on the recipe – and the clock.
• Make sure your chicken is cooked through before serving. The juices should run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a knife.

• Lay the skins of large chicken thighs skin-side down on a lined baking tray and scrape off any excess meat with a small, sharp knife.
• Sprinkle with good-quality flaky sea salt freshly ground pepper.
• Place another baking sheet and tray over the chicken skins to weigh them down.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180°C.
• Sprinkle over salad and tuck in!

• Start by using kitchen twine – plain, unbleached cotton string that won’t melt or burn. You’ll need at least 0,9m of twine for an average-sized chicken.
• Put the chicken, breast side up, on a chopping board. With the legs facing towards you, position the centre of the twine underneath the tailbone.
• Next, secure the legs by lifting the twine and wrapping each end around the bottom of the legs. Cross the two pieces in the middle.
• Now, holding both ends of the twine, pull tightly until the legs come together. Pulling the ends away from you, wrap the twine over the wings and around the front of the chicken.
• Turn the bird over so the neck is facing you and tie a knot beneath the neckbone.
• Trim the ends of the twine using a knife – it’s easier to clean than a pair of scissors.
• Turn the chicken onto its back again and pop it into the oven to roast.

Garlic and lemon mayo

• Stir 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and the zest and juice of ½ lemon into 1 cup (250ml) mayonnaise.

Tomato relish

• Finely chop 3 small gherkins and 3 pickled onions and stir into ¾ cup (180ml) tomato sauce.

Sweet and sour

• Stir together ¾ cup (180ml) pineapple juice, ¼ (60ml) cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup (60ml) brown sugar, 2 tbsp (30ml) tomato sauce and 1 tbsp (15ml) cornflour. Thicken over a low heat and allow to cool.

• Place the chicken breast-side up on a cutting board.
•  Pull the leg and thigh away from the body and use your fingers to find the hip joint in the fold.
• Stick the tip of a large knife into the joint to separate the thigh and leg from the body. Repeat on the other side.
•  Use the same method to separate the leg from the thigh and to cut the wings from the body.
•  To remove the chicken breast, cut through the breast bone to divide the carcass into two.
•  Cut away all bone and gristle from the breasts. You will now have two of each – thighs, drumsticks, wings, and breasts.
•  Add the carcass to soups, stews or casseroles to flavour them and remove the bones just before dishing up.